


Breaking Down The Rebel

by Quesadilla28



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Other, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:15:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28494459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quesadilla28/pseuds/Quesadilla28
Summary: Dream's process of slowly breaking down Tommy in exile.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 133





	Breaking Down The Rebel

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on AO3, so I don't know how to tag. This also isn't beta'd, so sorry for any mistakes.
> 
> * This fic contains slapping *

Breaking Down The Rebel

“Dream, please detain and escort Tommy out of my country,” Tubbo commanded coldly, blue eyes meeting Tommy’s wide, panicked ones.  
“Tubbo?” he whispered faintly.  
Dream smiled wickedly behind his mask. “Tommy, follow me.”  
“No! You can’t do this, Tubbo!” the strawberry blond teen shouted.  
“I’m getting impatient, Tommy,” Dream scowled.  
Quackity and Fundy frowned, moving closer to Tommy protectively.  
“Tubbo, we agreed to find other options,” Fundy growled softly, fox tail flicking back and forth wildly.  
“Yeah, Tubbo,” Quackity added, a defiant expression on his face. “You really are acting like Schlatt.”  
Tubbo’s resolve didn’t falter and he motioned at Dream again.  
Dream smirked and shoved Tommy off the obsidian wall.  
The teenager yelped as he fell and his back collided painfully with the ground.  
The blond speedrunner chuckled darkly and leapt down next to Tommy, landing in a neat crouch. “Let’s go, Tommy.”  
Ghostbur, who had been silent up until now, followed Dream down to the ground and began following the pair away from their nation.  
Dream commandeered the nearest boat and pushed Tommy into it, climbing in front of the younger teen and taking control of the oars. He grunted softly as he finally got the boat moving and they began drifting down the river.

“Put your stuff in the fire, Tommy,” Dream ordered.  
“What? No!”  
Dream, Ghostbur, and Tommy were sitting around a small campfire, on an island in the middle of nowhere. Tommy had already been stripped of his diamond and netherite armour and was not in a pleasant mood.  
“You can’t make me give up all my stuff, man,” Tommy growled. “You exiled me... Fine. But you do not get to control me in exile.”  
The ghost of the past president smiled warmly and tossed some of his stuff into the fire. “Here’s my seeds, here’s my gunpowder, here’s my eggs, here’s my flowers, here’s my picture of Alex Quackity-”  
“Wilbur, no! He can’t make us give up our things,” Tommy objected.  
Dream frowned in annoyance and flicked his sword against Tommy’s cheek, just barely breaking the skin to draw blood. “If you don’t throw them in, I’ll take your tools too.”  
Tommy hissed in pain and reluctantly dropped all his belongings, except his iron tools, into the fire, watching them burn with a dark glare on his face.  
The blond man restrained his grin and removed his backpack, placing a sleeping bag onto the ground. “Ghostbur, I didn’t know you were coming, so I don’t have a place to sleep for you. Sorry.”  
“That’s okay, Dream,” the ghost replied happily. “I don’t sleep.”  
Dream forced a tight smile as Ghostbur handed him a vial of shimmering blue dust.  
“Here, have some blue, calm yourself,” he murmured.  
Dream pocketed the powder vial and pulled Tommy closer before running his thumb over the thin cut on the teen’s cheek, wiping the blood away.  
Tommy growled and knocked Dream’s hand away from his face. “Don’t fuckin’ touch me, bitch.”  
Dream muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes. “Fine.”  
Tommy shrugged Ghostbur’s transparent hand off his shoulder to shove past Dream and begin violently hacking at a tree. Despite how much he hated Dream, he was extremely grateful that the older man let him keep his basic tools, aside from his sword, because making new ones would have been a real pain in the ass.  
Dream watched the younger walk away with an indifferent expression. He sighed and pulled a rolled-up tent off his back, tossing it onto the ground next to the sleeping bag. Dream meticulously assembled the fairly large tent as Tommy continued to angrily swing his axe into a tree. As Dream stepped back to inspect his work, Ghostbur stepped up next to him.  
“Good tent, Dream,” Wilbur mumbled thoughtfully.  
The blond laughed. “Thanks, Wilbur.”  
“Get away from him, Will,” Tommy spat, throwing some sticks onto the dimming fire. “He’s evil.”  
Ghostbur blinked slowly. “But it’s Dream. Dream’s my friend.”  
“No, he isn’t. He’s the reason I’m not allowed in L’Manburg anymore.”  
Dream raised an eyebrow. “The reason you aren’t allowed in L’Manburg anymore is because you griefed George’s house.”  
“Tommy, you griefed Gogy’s house?” Ghostbur asked in awe.  
“Yeah… yeah, I did,” the teen muttered. Tommy refrained from mentioning that Ranboo also played a role in the ‘griefing’ process, protecting the other man from Dream’s wrath. He abruptly changed the subject as he looked over the tent that Dream had set up for him. “What the hell is that?”  
“It’s your new house,” Dream gestured towards the tent. “You may be in exile, but it’d be rude to make you sleep outside in the rain.”  
Tommy frowned. “It’s not raining.”  
Psst. Psst. Psst.  
Ghostbur gasped as rain began to fall from the suddenly cloudy sky, hitting his translucent form and sizzling. He hurried into the tent to get out of the rain and relaxed as the rain stopped hitting him. “I melt in the rain, Dream.”  
A knowing smirk graced Dream’s lips. “I know, Wilbur.”  
Tommy’s eyebrows furrowed at the sudden storm and he begrudgingly stomped into the tent when his pathetic fire pittered out. He glared at Dream and drew his legs against his chest as he began shivering.  
Dream forced guilt into his expression before stepping into the tent and draping a wool blanket over Tommy’s shaking shoulders.  
The strawberry blond teenager snarled weakly, but wrapped the blanket tighter around him and his shivering slowed slightly.  
The blond man grinned and pulled his hood over his long golden hair to keep it out of the rain. “Well, you guys don’t need me here while you get settled, so I’m gonna head home. And I’ll, uh, be here tomorrow to check on you, Tommy.”  
“I don’t need you fucking watching me,” Tommy hissed.  
“Well, unless you have some sort of stable food source,” Dream remarked sarcastically. “You’re going to need me for far longer than you might think.”  
Tommy’s eyes narrowed and he stared hard into the smouldering embers of the campfire.  
Ghostbur waved goodbye to Dream with a pleasant grin on his face. “Bye, Dream!”  
“See you tomorrow, Tommy,” the blond smiled.  
“Fuck off, Dream,” Tommy snarled.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dream stepped out of his boat and looked around ‘Logstedshire’.  
In a matter of a few weeks, Tommy and Ghostbur had constructed a small fortress out of stripped oak logs, a blue tent, and a modest stone cabin. Tommy’s white tent was still on top of the small hill and someone had replanted a large Christmas tree a few feet away. There was even a nether portal along the worn path.  
Ghostbur was picking cornflowers in the distance as Tommy hopped out of the nether portal and glared over at Dream with a scowl before continuing to walk to his tent.  
Dream smirked and followed the younger boy to his tent, green eyes narrowing at the sight of the dark ender chest and various rare materials Tommy had been gifted.  
“Tommy.”  
“Dream,” the teen growled. Tommy had stumbled upon a ruined portal while exploring his new territory and acquired some enchanted golden leggings. Badboyhalo had even gifted him a Efficiency Ⅱ diamond pickaxe and the music disc Chirp.  
Despite not having much, Tommy was immensely proud of the settlement he had built up from the ground in only a few weeks.  
Dream huffed and held out his hand expectantly. “Armour, Tommy.”  
“What? But I earned this myself,” he protested weakly. “I found it.”  
“Too bad. Hand it over.”  
“Come on, Dream. I’m not gonna fucking revolt against you, it’s dangerous out here.”  
“Give. It.”  
“You motherfucker…” Tommy snarled, roughly throwing the leggings at Dream’s face before stalking away. He kicked out at the nearest patch of red flowers, knowing that Ghostbur would be rather upset if he destroyed any more blue ones.  
The blond rolled his eyes in annoyance and placed the leggings in his ender chest to dispose of later. “What were you doing in the nether, Tommy?”  
“Making a path from my portal to the SMP portal so that more people can come visit.”  
“I never said you could go in the nether…”  
“You never said that I couldn’t,” Tommy snickered mockingly and a cheeky grin formed on his face.  
Dream scowled. “I suppose I can allow it.”  
Tommy’s eyes flicked up to meet Dream’s emerald ones. “Really?”  
“Yeah, as long as you don’t go in the SMP portal.”  
“Fine…”  
“Tommy, look at all the flowers I- Oh, hi Dream! Look!” Ghostbur’s excitement was audible in his voice and he brandished his bouquet of cornflowers in Dream’s face, face falling as the blond sneezed. “Oh.”  
Dream wiped at his nose and held back his sharp insult. “It’s alright. I’m just a bit allergic…”  
Ghostbur forced a smile and began heading towards Logsted, looking for a suitable place to keep his flowers.  
Tommy watched the ghost go, sadness visible in his gloomy expression. He took a breath and grabbed an apple from his food chest, taking a large bite out of it and sighing deeply.  
“You know, Tommy, Technoblade lives over that way,” Dream murmured. “In the snow biome.”  
Tommy’s eyes narrowed and he spit out an apple seed in disgust. “You seriously made me live next to that fucker?”  
“Well, I didn’t know he lived there, Wilbur was the one to pick this place, not me.”  
“Whatever. Are you gonna follow me around all day then?”  
“Probably,” Dream shrugged indecisively. “I don’t have anything else to do.”  
“Can you at least help build up the beach if you’re going to annoy me all day?”  
“Beach?”  
Tommy groaned. “Ugh, yes, I’m having a beach party tomorrow with everyone.”  
“Who approved that?”  
“What?”  
“You need my approval for things like that.”  
“Are you shitting me? Go screw yourself, man,” Tommy barked, blue eyes glittering with hate. “I’m my own fucking person, who can decide for themself.”  
Dream raised his eyebrows. “It’s like you said, Tommy, I never said you couldn’t.”  
“Are you serious?”  
“Yeah, and I’ll help you build your beach, long as I’m invited.”  
Tommy frowned to hide his appreciative smile. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Dream and Tommy had spent the next several hours refining the beach with chairs and umbrellas, even cleaning up the surrounding areas. The pair had made a decent amount of progress by the evening and when they had finally turned in for the night, they were exhausted.  
The teenager had eagerly dug into the cooked mutton and mushroom stew that Dream had provided, eating his fill of the delicious home-cooked meal. He hadn’t had a well seasoned meal in a month and it tasted like heaven in his mouth. “Oh my god… Thanks for the food, Big D.”  
Dream’s smile was smug, but thankfully Tommy didn’t pick up on it. “No problem, Tomathy.”  
Tommy’s face fell and he scoffed. “Fucker.”  
“I told you to stop calling me that,” Dream snarked. “Stop calling me Big D, and I’ll stop calling you Tomathy.”  
The teen laughed before immediately trying to stifle the noise.  
Dream pursed his lips. “Tommy, you don’t have to pretend we didn’t have fun today… I’m your friend… we are friends, aren’t we?”  
Tommy paused. “Yeah… I guess we are.”  
The blond man grinned behind his mask and elbowed Tommy playfully.  
The younger boy laughed again and shoved the older back.  
“What time’s your party?”  
“Tomorrow at 3:00, Ghostbur’s handing out the invites,” Tommy explained.  
“”Who’s invited? Other than you, Wilbur, and I.”  
“Philza, Fundy, Big Q, Tubbo, a few others.”  
“Hmm.”  
“You’re-you’re really gonna let me have my party?”  
Dream stretched out his arms and nodded. “Yeah. Like I said… we’re friends.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The giddiness on Tommy’s face didn’t last last long at all.  
By the time Dream arrived at the beach, Tommy was holding back tears. When the blond asked him where everyone was, he had looked up with watery eyes and a quivering bottom lip.  
“Where is everyone?”  
“They-they didn’t come… No one showed up, except you…”  
Dream’s twisted smirk remained hidden as he forced his voice to remain even. “What do you mean? I know I’m late, but Wilbur told me he invited everyone.”  
“Nobody’s coming… are they?”  
“I don’t know, Tommy. I don’t know why they wouldn’t,” Dream murmured, sitting down on a beach chair next to Tommy and placing a hand on his shoulder.  
“They hate me, Dream. They don’t care about me, why else would they let Tubbo exile me?”  
Dream’s hand just squeezed Tommy’s arm rather than answering and the teen sighed sadly.  
“What am I supposed to do now? I’m all alone.”  
“You have me, Tommy,” Dream whispered. “You’ll always have me. Come on, let’s do something fun! How about this, I’ll let you try out my Riptide trident.”  
Tommy blinked away the last of the moisture in his eyes and swallowed the large lump in his throat. “Really? You’d trust me with it?”  
“Tommy, I do trust you, you’ve earned it. And I suppose… I’ll let you keep your armour.”  
The strawberry blond boy smiled weakly and he longed to give Dream a tight hug. “I… thank you, Dream, really.”  
Dream handed the younger boy his enchanted trident, green eyes glinting as Tommy eagerly accepted it.  
“But how am I supposed to use it? It’s not even raining,” Tommy muttered, glee ebbing away slightly.  
“Yeah it is,” Dream countered.  
“No, it-”  
Tommy’s retort was cut short as droplets of cool rainwater fell onto his face and his mouth fell open in bewilderment.  
Dream winked at the teen’s confused expression and merely pushed the boy towards the ocean. “Go ahead, try it out.”  
Tommy brushed away his confusion at the abrupt storm, in favour of throwing the trident into the air and whooping loudly as he flew after it.  
The blond man watched with only slightly feigned interest as, for the next twenty minutes, Tommy flew around in the rain with his trident, happiness audible in his delighted shrieks.  
The teenager looked to his side in midair, ready to share a joyful smile with Tubbo, only for his face to fall when his best friend was nowhere to be seen. The sudden shock rattled Tommy enough for the trident keeping him in the air to slip from his grip and send him hurtling towards the quickly approaching ocean.  
Dream’s eyes widened in sudden horror and he sprinted for the water’s edge, skidding to a stop when the water began to flood into his netherite boots.  
Tommy opened his mouth to scream, but closed it again when he was painfully reminded that there was no one to hear his cry for help… except for Dream.  
As Tommy let out a terrified cry, Dream hurled his only potion of slow-falling at the teenager, visibly relaxing as the plummet slowed enough for Tommy to be painlessly dropped into the ocean.  
Gasping for air, Tommy’s head burst out of the water and he began frantically swimming towards the shore as his soaked clothes and armour weighed him down. He coughed the water out of his lungs as he crawled onto the grainy sand, the irritating substance coating his hands and knees.  
Dream ran over to the hacking teenager and grabbed him by the shoulders, looking him over for any visible injuries. “Jesus! Are you okay?”  
Tommy coughed again. “Yeah, I’m good. But… I-I lost your trident.”  
The blond sighed and helped the younger boy to his feet, keeping a hand on his back to steady him. “It’s fine, Tommy. I’ll find another one, I’m just glad you aren't hurt.”  
The young teen’s dull blue eyes met bright green. “You actually care about me… don’t you?”  
“Of course, I do,” Dream murmured. He lifted a hand and used his thumb to brush some sand off Tommy’s cheek. “You’re covered in sand. Come on, I’ll find you some dry clothes.”  
Tommy allowed the older man to gently pull him to his feet and towards Tnret.  
Dream reached into his backpack, pulling out an old green hoodie and a pair of worn jeans. “Here you go, put these on.”  
“But these are yours,” Tommy whispered.  
“Mhm,” Dream agreed. “Now they’re yours. Go, put them on. You’re gonna freeze to death if you stay in wet clothes.”  
Tommy opened his mouth to protest again, but settled on closing his mouth and nodding silently. He stepped into the tent, shivering as Dream closed the tent flaps behind him and remained outside. Tommy quickly pulled on the dry clothes, sighing comfortably in the warm embrace of the green sweater before heading outside again.  
Dream had built a small campfire outside the tent and was carefully cooking a small chicken on a spit.  
Tommy’s mouth instantly began to water at the savoury smell of the cooking meat and he dropped down on the bench next to Dream, eyes locked onto the roasting chicken.  
The speedrunner glanced over at the teenager before looking back to the chicken. “That sweater’s way too big on you.”  
“Well, that’s because it’s your sweater, dickhead,” Tommy grumbled, fingers curling in the soft fabric, giving the teen sweater paws.  
Dream laughed loudly and turned the chicken on the makeshift spit. He cursed under his breath as his meticulous pyramid of wood collapsed into a pile of cinders and his fire died slightly.  
Tommy fidgeted uncomfortably next to the older man, brightening as an idea popped into his head. He got up from the bench, Dream’s green eyes following his movements, and rummaged around the edge of the forest. When he returned, Tommy had an armful of dead leaves and dried sticks held against his chest. He didn’t notice the frown on Dream’s face until it was too late.  
Dream shot to his feet as Tommy threw the foliage onto the weak fire and it increased tenfold. The chicken was instantly charred and flames licked at the wooden legs of the spit hungrily until it crumbled into ash. The burnt meat fell into the embers of the fire and Tommy immediately recoiled from the blazing fire.  
The teenager went white and fearfully bolted into his tent, throwing the entrance shut behind him.  
Dream took a deep breath and tossed a bucket of water over the campfire, watching the flames sputter out. The blond strode towards the tent and pushed the flaps open, stepping into it and staring at the younger boy.  
Tommy was sitting on his sleeping bag, trembling as tears ran down his cheeks. His dull, navy eyes flicked up to glance at Dream before he sniffled and hid his face in his arms.  
As Dream’s hand closed around his arm, Tommy flinched and wrenched his arm away. “L-leave me alone.”  
“Tommy, I’m not angry,” Dream murmured. “You wanted to help, right?”  
The strawberry blond boy looked up with teary eyes as he nodded. “I didn’t mean to… I just thought it would help.”  
Dream nodded his agreement and lowered himself onto the end of the sleeping bag, keeping his hand on Tommy’s arm. “Hey, look at me. Do I look upset?”  
Tommy shook his head after searching Dream’s face for any sign of annoyance and finding nothing. “No.”  
“Exactly. I’m not happy that you ruined the meal, but I forgive you… Friends forgive each other, got it?”  
“Y-yeah… You’re not gonna leave me like everyone else?”  
Dream wiped the tears from Tommy’s cheeks and gently pulled the younger boy into a hug, grunting softly when Tommy tightened the loose embrace and whimpered into the crook of his neck. “Okay, I’ve got you. I won’t leave. I won’t leave.”

Tommy remained by Dream’s side for the rest of the morning, keeping unnaturally quiet for the rambunctious teenager. His eyes were still slightly red-rimmed and puffy, but Dream made an effort to keep the young boy laughing.  
Dream even suggested working on the path to the SMP portal in the nether after lunch to boost Tommy’s gloomy mood.  
The younger had hesitantly agreed, reluctant to return to the fiery nether after his last visit where he’d nearly ended it all before Dream had stopped him.  
But a surprise awaited Tommy just outside his nether portal.  
Green eyes closed in exasperation and blue eyes widened in disbelief as Mexican Dream smirked silently under the cover of a ledge of netherrack.  
“Ey, man, this ain’t the path to Tijuana, man.”  
Tommy’s mouth hung agape. “M-Mexican Dream?”  
“Ey, Tomás,” the twenty year old purred smoothly.  
Dream rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers and leveled the Mexican version of himself with a fed up scowl.  
The slightly younger man grinned widely and slunk over to him. “Ey, Mamacita.” He tugged his bottom lip between pearly white teeth with a flirtatious smile. “Nice threads, man.”  
The blond speedrunner’s nose wrinkled and he held the other man at arms length. “Nah, nah, nah. Stop.”  
Mexican Dream frowned and pulled his green hood from his head to reveal silky black hair. He ran a hand through his hair before carelessly stepping through Tommy’s nether portal. “What is this, man?”  
Tommy hurried to follow after the other man, tentatively looking back at Dream for approval before doing so.  
The teenager watched Mexican Dream survey Logstedshire with a confused expression.  
“Why’re you out here, man? Why are you not in Dream SMP, this is way beyond Dream SMP, man,” the raven haired man asked.  
“Well, I’ve been exiled…”  
Tommy looked up in shock as the older man snorted and held back his laugh. “Why are you laughing? This isn’t funny.”  
“No, no, don’t worry, man,” Mexican Dream soothed. “We’ll make this place like home, man.” His dark, almost black eyes darted to his American counterpart as Dream stepped back into the overworld. “Why would you do this to him, man?”  
Tommy instantly stepped between the pair, trying to hide his trembles as Dream growled softly. “No, it’s okay. He’s my friend now, apparently, I think.” He turned his head to glance up at Dream, beaming as the oldest ruffled his hair playfully, seemingly pleased by his statement.  
“Don’t worry, man. I’ll be your new friend,” Mexican Dream interrupted, pulling Tommy aside, oblivious to the dark glares Dream was shooting at him like daggers.  
“Oh… do you need you to give you all my things? That’s what Dream makes me do,” Tommy explained proudly, eyes immediately locking onto Dream as he waited for the rare praise that came from the blond’s mouth.  
Dream just nodded pleasantly and kept a firm hand on Tommy’s shoulder, unwilling to let this interference shatter the careful prison he was building around the teenager.  
Mexican Dream’s eyes widened and he nodded l. “Yeah, yeah. Give me all your things. All the shoes, your wallet, man... I also want, um, your tools, man.”  
Tommy laughed loudly.  
Dream just shook his head and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes when he felt someone’s warm breathing ghosting over his face. A scowl etched itself across his face as he met Mexican Dream’s dark eyes.  
“Ey, man,” the shortest man murmured.  
The blond rolled his eyes, shoving an apple at Mexican Dream and brushing past him.  
“I don’t want your fuckin’ handouts, man,” he shouted, tossing the apple back at Dream and hitting him in the head.  
Dream instantly drew an arrow into his bow, aiming it directly between the man’s eyes.  
Mexican Dream looked over at Tommy with a horrified expression. “He’s mugging me, man.”  
Tommy giggled.  
Dream took another calming breath and lowered his bow before whipping a second apple at the back of Mexican Dream’s head.  
Tommy gasped as Mexican Dream grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away.  
“Tomás, come over here,” Mexican Dream muttered. He frowned as Dream moved to follow them. “No, no, no! You stay the fuck away! Stay the fuck away.”  
Dream snarled behind his face mask, but remained out of earshot.  
Tommy looked down at the shorter man curiously. “What?”  
“This motherfucker, man,” the ebony haired man hissed, completely serious. “He keeps handing me handouts, man. He looks at me, immediately thinks, Oh I’m gonna give this man FOOD, man.”  
“Well, he’s borderline my owner,” Tommy snorted quietly.  
The older man squinted. “He’s your dad?”  
“What! No, no, no, no,” Tommy sputtered.  
“Ey, Papa Tomás! You gotta teach your fucking child some manners, man,” Mexican Dream shouted, grabbing Tommy by the arm and dragging him back towards Dream.  
Dream sighed and gently pulled Tommy out of his lookalike’s hold. He leaned down to whisper softly in the teen’s ear. “I don’t like Mexican Dream… Mexican Dream is weird.”  
Tommy blinked slowly as a stream of Spanish curses flew out of Mexican Dream’s mouth and Dream frowned deeply, not releasing Tommy from his tight hold.  
“What are you even saying?” Dream grumbled.  
Tommy laughed warmly as Dream used him as a human shield against Mexican Dream and the raven haired man rapidly muttered in Spanish under his breath.  
The blond twenty-one year old was quickly tiring of Mexican Dream’s irritating antics, but… he was making Tommy laugh… I suppose a little while longer wouldn’t hurt, he thought to himself.

Mexican Dream stayed in Logstedshire for the remainder of the day and Dream had to restrain himself from firing multiple arrows at him throughout the afternoon.  
But Tommy was happy… laughing like he didn’t have a care in the world and like he wasn’t in exile.  
And that was enough for Dream to allow their visitor to stay for so long.  
By the time Mexican Dream finally left, Tommy was struggling to keep his eyes open.  
Dream led Tommy into his tent and gently lowered him into the sleeping bag, making sure he was wrapped up in it before turning to leave.  
“Dream..?” Tommy whispered  
Dream looked back at Tommy with a questioning expression. “Yeah?”  
Blue eyes glanced away as red dusted Tommy’s cheeks. “When I was little and I couldn’t sleep… Wilbur would stay with me until I fell asleep…” He paused, fiddling with the zipper of the sleeping bag. “Can you…”  
As Dream opened his mouth to say no, Tommy looked back at him pleadingly and the blond’s resolve fractured. “Ok. But just until you fall asleep.”  
“Thanks,” Tommy mumbled.  
The blond sat down on the ground next to Tommy’s head, inhaling sharply as the teen’s hand curled around his. He gazed down at the younger boy, fondness unknowingly showing on his face.  
The last things Tommy saw as he drifted off, were a pair of bright green eyes gleaming faintly. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tommy’s weary eyes flew wide open with fear and shame as Dream descended the ladder into his secret room. The room filled with things he knew that Dream wouldn't want him having.  
The teenager hastily jumped down into the room, disregarding the ladder to get down there as fast as possible. “Dream, wait! It isn’t what it looks like, I swear.”  
The blond remained deathly silent, a look of pure disappointment plastered onto his face.  
Tears began to well up in Tommy’s blue eyes as he scrambled to hide the obvious error in judgement he had committed. “Dream, I’m sorry. Really, I’m so sorry.”  
Dream leveled the teenager with a dark glare before pulling a stick of dynamite from his backpack and holding it out to Tommy.  
“I-I, no. I can’t, Dream… They’re my things,’ he whispered pathetically, the feeble attempt at an excuse only increasing Dream’s growing anger.  
“Take it, Tommy. Now.”  
“Please, Dream, I’m sorry.” Tommy yelped in pain as Dream’s hand suddenly connected with his face in a firm slap. He fell backwards onto the ground at the sharp pain, choked whimpers falling through cracked lips as the tears finally spilled from his eyes. “I said I was sorry,” he cried softly.  
Dream crouched down next to the younger boy and gently cupped his pinkening cheek in a hand, rubbing his thumb over the tender skin.  
Tommy flinched away, but quickly leaned into the soft touch, savouring the human contact after the weeks without a single friendly touch.  
“Sorry won’t cut it this time, Tommy,” Dream murmured thoughtfully. “You know I’m your only friend out here, right?”  
The strawberry blond teenager nodded, only for Dream to lightly dig his fingernails into his inflamed cheek. “Dream-”  
“Shush,” he interrupted, his dark green eyes leaving no room for argument.  
Tommy gulped and closed his mouth, his breathing stuttering as Dream continued to press against the red handprint on his cheek.  
“I let you have your little party and no one showed up… they don’t want you anymore, Tommy. They don’t care about you. I am the only one who visits you. I am your friend, Tommy,” Dream hissed.  
Another flood of tears escaped Tommy’s eyes and he hiccuped softly as he held back a sob.  
“If I can’t trust you to be good, do you think I’ll be as lenient with the rules? I let you go home yesterday, Tommy… Let you spend a bit of time with your friends and my little sister. And this is how you say thank you?”  
“I-I’m sorry, Dream. I… I won’t do it again. I promise. Just please, please let me keep my things.”  
Dream frowned and slapped Tommy again, harder this time, sending him into a whimpering mess. “You aren’t listening.”  
Tommy gasped weakly and lowered his gaze to the ground, trying to ignore the burning pain across his face. He scooted away from the older man until his back was pressed against the cobblestone wall.  
The blond man smiled under his white face mask and once again, gripped Tommy tightly by the face, forcing him to meet emerald eyes that promised death if he were to object again. “Now, are you going to listen to your only friend left and do what I say?”  
As Dream’s thumb wiped away a fallen tear and Tommy nodded sadly. He stumbled to his feet and hesitantly flicked his lighter open, glancing up at Dream pitifully.  
The older man kept his gaze cold and Tommy extended his hand for the stick of dynamite. With violently shaking hands, Tommy numbly lit the fuse and dropped it to the floor, Dream immediately grabbing him by the shoulder and pearling them out of the room.  
The teenager barely acknowledged the change in his surroundings as he watched Logstedshire explode in a volcano of sparks and ash.  
Dream’s gleeful grin was invisible to Tommy and the blond gently ran a hand over Tommy’s strawberry blond curls. His fingers clenched in the oily strands and he roughly yanked Tommy’s head back, drawing a shrill whine from the younger. He tugged again on Tommy’s hair before leaning down next to his ear. “Try that again and I won’t hesitate to kill you.”  
Tommy just nodded, reaching up for his head just as Dream dropped him to the ground. His eyes dimmed as blue powder began to shower down from the sky like snow. Ghostbur’s Blue. It was all gone. Caught in the wind and never returning.  
Dream pulled off his backpack and placed it next to Tommy. “Put all your stuff in, Tommy.”  
Faded blue eyes turned toward Dream tearfully. “I-I don’t have a-anything left…”  
“I was going to let you keep your tools, but then you were difficult,” Dream lied swiftly. He was never going to let Tommy keep his tools. “Tell you what, you drop your stuff in the bag without complaining again and you can keep one thing. I’m being extremely generous here, Tommy. But I can only be nice for so long.”  
Tommy sniffed slightly as he pulled his own backpack off and timidly dropped it at Dream’s feet. He tugged off his utility belt that carried all his tools, and lowered it into Dream’s bag. He pulled his chest plate and balanced the armour against Dream’s bag. The last thing for Tommy to pull from his pockets was a piece of paper.  
Dream frowned and reached for the photo, growling when Tommy hid it out of his reach. “Tommy. You’re really testing my patience right now. Give it to me.”  
“This is what I wanna keep,” Tommy whispered quietly. His eyes roved over the photo and a tight smile grew on his lips.  
The older man held out his hand. “Give it to me.”  
“But y-you said-“  
“Now!”  
A shaking hand meekly passed Dream the photo, recoiling as Dream violently snatched the paper out of his hand.  
It was a wrinkled photo of Tommy and Tubbo sitting on the bench in L’Manburg. If you squinted, you could see the edge of the jukebox that was no doubt playing Mellohi or Cat.  
“You want this? Out of all your stuff, you want a picture of the ‘friend’ who hasn’t cared enough to visit you once since you’ve been exiled? When I’ve been here almost every day and you betray my trust again and again.”  
“Dream, I-”  
The twenty one year old crouched next to Tommy, instantly cutting off his sentence as the teenager trembled in fear of being hit again.  
“Stop interrupting me.”  
Tommy opened his mouth to apologize and Dream’s hand connected with his face again.  
“What did I just say?” Dream growled.  
The teenager shook his head frantically as Dream lifted his hand again, only for him to pull down his mask and place both hands on Tommy’s face. The blond pressed a light kiss to Tommy’s forehead and lightly ran his fingers through his dirty hair. “You know I’m your friend, right, Tommy?”  
The younger nodded, his shocked tears dripping over Dream’s hands at seeing the older man’s whole face for the first time.  
“Good. And you know I let you have your fun, right? Let you talk to Mexican Dream, Drista, Ranboo, and Lazar. Let Wilbur stay here with you, even though you’re supposed to be alone.”  
Tommy nodded again.  
Dream allowed fondness to show into his expression as he gently wiped the moisture from his eyes. “So you know that I care about you. And that no one wants you back in L’Manburg.”  
Another pathetic nod.  
“Why don’t you let me keep this then? Hmm? I’ll let you pick something out of your ender chest and you can have that instead?”  
Tommy whimpered softly before silently shaking his head. “I… I wanna keep the picture, please, Dream.”  
Dream’s warm smile dropped immediately and his fingers wound painfully around Tommy’s hair as he dropped the photo, drawing a mewl from the young teen. “Fine.”  
The blond pushed himself to his feet and lit another stick of dynamite. He snapped his fingers at Tommy, forcing the younger’s eyes up. “Watch.” Dream pulled his mask back up and tossed the explosive at Tommy’s tent.  
Tommy’s haunted face was illuminated by the bright explosion of his beloved Tnret. He forced himself to his feet and lurched toward the fire, pulling against Dream’s tight grip on his shirt collar. “No! Dream, please! Please, put it out,” he stammered, broken eyes reflecting the roaring fire.  
“No.”  
“Dream! Please, I’ll do anything,” Tommy cried desperately.  
“No. You need to learn,” Dream whispered, vibrant eyes gleaming in the firelight as he released Tommy’s shirt and walked away.  
“But-” Tommy trailed off as Dream struck his pickaxe against the obsidian of his nether portal. “Dream, no!”  
Dream ignored the teenager and continued to swing his axe until the swirling, purple portal vanished.  
“You’re banned from the nether. No one is allowed to visit and you are going to stay here alone.”  
Tommy fell silent as more tears streamed down his face and Dream slunk closer to him.  
“And if you ever go behind my back again… I swear to you, you will never see L’manburg again.”  
“I won’t, I won’t do it again,” Tommy whispered frantically. “I’ll be good.”  
“I’d hope so,” Dream hissed.  
Tommy whimpered softly as Dream brushed by him and headed for his boat. “Where-where are you going?”  
“I am leaving… to give you some time to think about what you did. And the consequences it had.”  
“Please don’t go…” the teen whispered quietly. “Please?”  
“You don’t get to make demands after what you just did.” Dream hopped into his wooden boat and slowly began paddling towards the Dream SMP.  
And Tommy fell to his knees again, watching his only friend leave him alone, more tears clouded his vision.  
He hiccuped weakly as another sob caught in his throat and forced himself to his feet, eyes scanning the ground for the dropped piece of paper.  
Tommy exhaled lightly as he finally spotted the photo and his hands instantly dug into the dirt to retrieve the paper. He smiled faintly at the picture before glancing back at Dream’s, slowly disappearing from view, boat. His fingers clenched the paper roughly as a tear dropped onto the photo.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this fic! Might make a part two (about Tommy's stay with Techno) if this does well.


End file.
